Bohol vows to end water woes, embarks P1B water dev’t program in 2021

MINERVA BC NEWMAN

BOHOL—The Provincial Government of Bohol (PGBh) vowed to end its water woes and embarked on a one-billion-peso water supply development program for the various localities and island communities here.

Bohol Vice Gov. Rene Relampagos said that the P1billion budget has been included in the 2021 general appropriations of the PGBh that will be sourced from bank financing and other fund sources.

Relampagos said the PGBh tapped the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) as the source of funds for the widespread water development program. The LBP has informed the SP to use the omnibus term loan facility/credit line that was already approved by the board of directors of the bank due to its high PGBh financial credibility.

The SP in a resolution already authorized governor Arthur Yap to negotiate with the financial institution to avail of the credit facility and using this credit line for the bank’s approval of the loan.

According to Relampagos that the bank's credit line for the province is above P1 billion strictly because of its trust in the capacity and good record of the province.  Because of the bank's high trust in the PGBh, the LGUs can avail of the credit line at a lower rate of only four percent per annum instead of six percent.

Meantime, governor Yap inaugurated the desalination water plant in Pamilacan Island on March 19 ending the island’s thirst for water for ages.  The facility uses a special technology that treats salty water into clean, safe water for drinking and at a very energy-efficient rate, making its operation cheaper and sustainable.

According to Yap the water plant is the second of its kind on an island after a similar facility at Pandanon island off Getafe in the Second District. 

The desalination technology which is said to be the first kind in the country provides healthy, abundant and cheap water to island communities which price of water consumption can drop by more than 90 percent and usually costs less than P5, Yap added.

Bohol’s aggressive water development program is the flagship of the Yap administration which is highlighted with testimonies from the stakeholders and commitment signing to support the government’s water supply agenda during the observance of the World Water Day. (Photos: FB post PRIMER/Google)